Haim release heartfelt new single 'Hallelujah,' with another video by Paul Thomas Anderson

Tyler Aquilina

Haim are slowing it down for their new single.

The band released a new song, titled “Hallelujah,” on Monday, with an accompanying music video directed by their frequent collaborator (and fellow San Fernando Valley native) Paul Thomas Anderson. The video, which mostly takes place in a dark theater, features plenty of Anderson’s trademark visual flair, with expressionistic lighting and long, gliding shots. (It also swaps out the New Beverly, seen in Haim’s “Summer Girl” video, for another old-fashioned Los Angeles movie house.)

As for the song, its gentle, acoustic sound deviates from the group’s usual pop-rock sensibility, but befits the song’s emotional context. The three Haim sisters all sing a verse on the track, and each shared statements about their respective sections on Instagram. Alana Haim wrote that her verse is a tribute to her friend Sammi Kane Kraft, who died in a car accident at age 20. “I had always wanted to pay tribute to her in some way and i could never put how important she was into words,” she wrote.

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We have a song called hallelujah coming out on Monday. It’s a song about family, love, loss, and being thankful for it all. It’s hard to talk about my verse in the song but I wanted to open up about it so here i go... I went through a really dark time when I was 20. I woke up on a hazy October morning to find out that my best friend, Sammi Kane Kraft, had passed away in a tragic car accident. It was a loss that changed my life forever. Sammi was my everything, and coming to terms with the fact that she wasn’t here, that i couldn’t call her, i couldn’t hug her, I would never see her bright smile and sparkling eyes ever again broke me. Its strange but i started thinking about all the milestones in my life that she would never be a part of- like us wanting to celebrate our 21st birthdays in Vegas, or planning all the festivals we wanted to go to around the world, or knowing that when i walk down the aisle at some point she won’t be standing next to me as my maid of honor. I had always wanted to pay tribute to her in some way and i could never put how important she was into words. It felt like there were no words in the dictionary to encapsulate how special she was. Losing her put a lot of things in to perspective for me. I was so lucky to have my sisters at this time in my life. There was a point where they didn’t know what to do or say or how to help and them just being there as a shoulder to cry on or as an ear to talk to got me to slowly recover. I’m not the same, I’ll never be the same. The me before took love, friends and family for granted. Now there won’t be a day that goes by where i don’t tell everyone i love how special they are to me. Though I miss her everyday I know she’s still here sending me little messages, little signs everywhere i go. I always look up and go I hear ya Sammi Sam! Love love love love love you too. Hallelujah comes out Monday and I can’t wait for you all to hear it.

A post shared by HAIM (@haimtheband) on Nov 16, 2019 at 12:20pm PST

Este Haim wrote that “Hallelujah” is “a song about relying on the people around you and reflecting on how different life could be if those people weren’t around,” noting how her sisters have supported her through her struggles with diabetes. “This song is for anyone struggling with chronic illness and the people around us who we truly rely on for help and guidance,” she continued.

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our new song hallelujah comes out tomorrow. to me it’s a song about relying on the people around you and reflecting on how different life could be if those people weren’t around. i wrote my verse a few days after i’d gotten some pretty terrible news from my endocrinologist. around that time i wasn't paying attention to my health and ignoring warning signs of a bigger issue than just my type 1 diabetes. it’s an easy trap to fall into. Some diabetics go through what doctors call “diabetic burnout” where the patient essentially stops taking care of themselves because it becomes too stressful, too time consuming, too frustrating to deal with day in and day out. at the time i was feeling like type 1 diabetes was a 24 hour job that i wasn’t allowed to clock out of. i came home from the doctor super upset and frustrated and the only two people i felt comfortable enough to talk about it with were danielle and alana. sometimes it feels like they’re the only two people that truly understand me and support me when i feel like giving up. they’ve been with me everyday supporting me and cheering me on since i was diagnosed at 14 years old. and i don’t know what i would do without them always reminding me when my blood sugar is taking it’s toll on me that i’m “more than my highs and my lows, you got this E”. this song is for anyone struggling with chronic illness and the people around us who we truly rely on for help and guidance.

A post shared by HAIM (@haimtheband) on Nov 17, 2019 at 12:13pm PST

Finally, middle sister Danielle shared some of the story behind the video’s images, writing, “My verse is about our relationship as sisters. That feeling of knowing what your sibling is gonna do or say before they do it…. That is what inspired the concept for this video. When we got together with Paul we wanted to depict what it’s like to have siblings that always have your back.” She added, “This song is a big thank you to the people in your life that love and support you every day.”

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HALLELUJAH OUT NOW. my verse is about our relationship as sisters. that feeling of knowing what your sibling is gonna do or say before they do it. Sibling telepathy is a real thing!!!! that is what inspired the concept for this video. when we got together with Paul we wanted to depict what it’s like to have siblings that always have your back. A support system. this song is a big thank you to the people in your life that love and support you every day.

A post shared by HAIM (@haimtheband) on Nov 18, 2019 at 9:05am PST

While the group hasn’t formally announced a new album, “Hallelujah” is the latest in a string of new Haim singles; in addition to this summer’s “Summer Girl,” they also released “Now I’m in It” in October. You can watch the new music video above.

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